Some TV shows are like comfort food, and for me, there’s no show more comforting than Peep Show. The British sitcom from the early 2000s has been my go-to whenever I don’t know what to watch for quite some time now, and for good reasons.
For the uninitiated, Peep Show follows the miseries of self-doubting, uptight loan manager called Mark Corrigan (David Mitchell), who rents a room in his South London flat to Jeremy Usbourne (Robert Webb), aka Jez, an overconfident and impulsive musician.
Together, they stumble, blindly through day-to-day life, usually ending up in a desperate situation of their own making. There’s something weirdly cozy about watching two awkward flatmates spiral through life’s small humiliations, especially when their internal monologues are so brutally honest – and endlessly quotable.
I’m not ashamed to admit that I often find myself referencing memorable lines from the series. Don’t believe me? Given that I’m writing about a TV show, I can’t help but think about a fitting scene from one of my favorite episodes of the entire series, ‘Seasonal Beatings’ (episode 5 of season 7), where Mark is discussing what to watch next:
“We watched all the Losts and they were… somewhat okay, and Heroes had some interesting themes, but also quite a lot of… not so interesting themes. And Prison Break, by the end I very much wanted to break out of the prison that Prison Break had become for us.”
Unlike many other shows, Peep Show isn’t just “somewhat okay”. It does have interesting themes and I never want to break out of my habit of streaming it on repeat. Whether you’re discovering it for the first time on one of the best streaming services or rewatching it for the umpteenth time like me, Peep Show remains one of the most unique and rewarding comedies out there.
Why you should (still) watch Peep Show
The series features some of the best side characters you’ll ever meet. From Jez’s ‘moreish’ bandmate Super Hans (Matt King) and Mark’s ruthless boss Alan Johnson (Paterson Joseph) to Mark’s love interests Sophie (Olivia Coleman) and Dobby (Isy Suttie), the supporting cast are every bit as quirky and engaging as the two leads.
Peep Show’s cringe humor often sees the show get compared to another well-loved sitcom you might have heard of: The Office. But while both shows are filled with awkward silences and cringe-inducing lead characters, Peep Show is in a class of its own.
Its humor is more polished (yes, there are moments of chaos but it doesn’t turn slapstick), its underlining themes are much darker (in one episode it goes to the “heart of darkness”) and its characters are far more deluded (the show really doesn’t hold back on just how much so at times). But at the same time, it’s not doing any of this in a pretentious way.
Indeed, there’s no gloss here. The flats are grim, the jobs are soul-crushing (although one character does get close to the ‘big three’: “museum, lunch and a snooze”), and the dreams are small. But that’s what makes the show so easy to watch, because it doesn’t pretend to be anything grand.
The secondhand embarrassment you feel from the comedy is all amplified by the shaky point-of-view (POV) filming that the show is known for. There’s nowhere for the viewer to hide. You see everything up close, making you feel like you’re inside the lead characters’ heads.
While the filming style is unique, it can also take some getting used to. The first season was very much still finding its (rainbow) rhythm with the POV camerawork, and mounted head cameras to the actors to produce the effect – the quality of the footage these cameras produced was quite low, which is why they’re used less later in the series.
Basically, don’t skip the first season because you’re put off by the video quality; stick with it, because you’ll be rewarded with some of the best gags in the series, including one that makes a reappearance in season 5, which you wouldn’t otherwise get if you skipped it.
What also makes it such a comforting TV show to stream is that the episodes are short, usually just under 30 minutes, but a lot still happens throughout. Peep Show is the perfect series for short sittings when you need something light to watch because you can easily tune in and out of it.
So what are you waiting for? Pour yourself a massive drink. Turn on the TV and crack open this exceptionally funny show that deserves your attention immediately. Merry Peep Show watching everyone!
Peep Show is available to watch on Prime Video, Hulu and BritBox in the US, as well as some of the best free streaming services, including Pluto TV, Plex and The Roku Channel. Meanwhile, those in the UK can find it on Netflix, while Australians can stream it on Prime Video, BritBox and Stan.
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